Review: Class Dismissed/Victory Gardens Biograph Theater

The sixties were defined by passion: to stop an unpopular war, to create lasting social change. It was a fervor that almost pushed an entire generation of youth to madness. That passion is completely missing from Victory Gardens’ “Class Dismissed.”

An act of civil disobedience forces Ron (Aaron Roman Weiner in a REALLY distracting wig) and Pete (Steve Key) to retreat with their friends to Ron’s Vermont family home. There, the group encounters infidelity, unplanned pregnancy, terminal illness, creative failure, disloyalty and financial betrayal. Jeffrey Sweet’s script is awash in conflict, yet each life-changing obstacle receives nothing more from the text than a detached, tepid “oh well.”

The cast tries valiantly to recreate the humanity and humor of the era: Jennifer Avery is appealing as the sardonic hippie-chick; the ever-reliable Marc Grapey can make throat clearing funny. But the sixties’ success can be measured by its conflict resolution. This bunch does nothing. (Lisa Buscani)

Share this:

Related Stories

Tempers in Bloom: A Review of Native Gardens at Victory Gardens Theater RECOMMENDED In many urban American cities, houses are so close together that neighbors can see into each other’s backyards. Fences are often put up, not just to give a sense of privacy but to mark property lines, creating a visible boundary to declare what belongs to each party. What happens when those fences wither and that border line deteriorates? Moreover,…

Hive Mind: A Review of Queen at Victory Gardens Theater RECOMMENDED Science and math have been the focus of several productions already this year. And while Madhuri Shekar's "Queen" is an assured piece of writing, Victory Gardens' world-premiere production of it could learn from Court Theatre's "The Hard Problem" and TimeLine's "A Disappearing Number." While lab work doesn't often translate to thrilling scene work, "Queen" gets little help from its flat…

For the Love of Hair: A Review of A Wonder in My Soul at Victory Gardens Theater Within their venerable walls, Victory Gardens is currently offering two very different perspectives on being a person of color in America, specifically Chicago. Upstairs, Teatro Vista’s “The Wolf at the End of the Block” presents a morally ambiguous, razor-sharp drama that pulsates with the energy of the Here and the Now. Downstairs on the main stage, the world premiere of Marcus…

Hymns to Narcissus: A Review of St. Jude at Victory Gardens Theater Performance art is a transgressive medium, designed to startle and confront. But when, early on in his one-man “St. Jude” monologue, Luis Alfaro tosses off an offensive joke about pedophile priests (“I was an altar boy at Latin Mass and not a single priest laid his hands on me–dammit!”), it sounds more oblivious than provocative. The line is a warning…